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Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Global Collapse: Should we Listen to Survivalists?

Have you seen any web ads that have a hook that runs something like “banned by FEMA” or “banned by Google” or “Your govt. does not want you to know this”?

Yes, I admit to biting on the hook. These ads appeal to those who have doubts about the future of the U.S. economy. These doubts bring visions of economic depression, societal chaos, government oppression exercised because of a collapsing economy or National Security breakdowns or just a cessation of government authority in general.

I find it unfortunate that the Free Market I believe in so much allows fear-entrepreneurs to make money by the possible and/or probable threat to individuals’ and families’ livelihood. This fish bit the hook because I lean toward plausible possibility. I am still in denial a coming chaos will change America into an everyman for himself wild, wild West is inevitable. Possible yes, probable maybe, but inevitable – no.

Survivalists are somewhere between probable and inevitable. Nonetheless, if the chaos proceeds as the Survivalists believe, I want to be a friend with at least one of them.

And so I continue to check out the ads every once in awhile. What I find annoying is the commonality in all these ads. That commonality is the link taking you to the video page will not let you leave with one click of the “X”. On my browser it always asks if you want to leave or remain. If you click leave you are sent to another page that lays out the details for a purchase of a book, CD, DVD or so on. I have not succumbed to the fisherman yet by allowing the ad to reel me in. BUT because I am still in the possibility crowd I keep clicking them because of the curiosity.

The thing is I discover little nuggets of fascination when I listen to these videos. So instead of purchasing (in this case) “The Long-Term Family Survival Course,” I thought I would check out some Survivalist websites for a little more info.

I discovered that Survivalism is a pretty big subculture. One site I found has an enormous amount of text files to download to study the ideology and the how-to of Survivalism. If this tweaked your curiosity here is the link: http://www.textfiles.com/survival/. Then I found a Website that purports to have a list of the founding fathers of the Survivalist Movement.

This is what I am going to do from here. I am going to cross post these posts at SlantRight 2.0:

The last is a part of the ad I watched. I have in the past placed a teaser of one of these videos. Unbelievably a complaint was filed with Youtube and I had to remove the video excerpt from the SlantRight Youtube Channel. The part I am cross posting is the page I was taken to after trying to leave the video ad portion.

If you are curious and want to read up on this kind of stuff you can Google Survivalism, read a few of the downloadable links from http://www.textfiles.com/survival/, maybe browse the Survival Spot blog or just buy the Family Survival Course.

The modern survivalist movement has been influenced by a number of people. But a select group of influential authors and speakers have virtually shaped or perhaps created the modern survivalist movement. This article is dedicated those special people, those founding fathers of survivalism.

Mel Tappan began his career collaborating with other members of the survivalist movement. Co-authoring a book and writing a small column for “Guns & Ammo” magazine in the 70′s. He is best known for his book Survival Guns which is still in print today, 32 years later. However, despite his popularity we couldn’t manage to find a single image, video or audio clip of Mel. Mel encouraged his readers to relocate away from metropolitan areas as a part of their survival strategy. Mel was once quoted by the Associated Press as saying:

“The concept most fundamental to long term disaster preparedness, in retreating, is having a safe place to go to avoid the concentrated violence destined to erupt in the cities. When you have a growing apprehensive awareness that the time grows short for you to relocate away from areas of greatest danger, then choose [where you will live] carefully.”

Unfortunately Mel passed away in 1988 but his legacy will continue to live on with the admiration and weight his name currently carries. His wife, Nancy Mack was one of his biggest supporters and continued his work for a number of years.

Howard Ruff is another one of the original Survivalists who entered the scene in the 1970′s. Drawing on his experience in financial advising, he has written several books focusing on financial preparedness topics. He has been known to encourage investing in precious metals and food storage, rather than traditional stocks and bonds. Although he may not have a household name, Ruff has been fighting for sound economics for a lifetime. He recently appeared on MSNBC to speak about the fragility and possible threats to the current US economy in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Through his books, speaking and other engagements, Howard has become one of the foremost pioneers of sound economic principles as related to self sufficiency.

Don Stephens entered the Survivalist scene in the 1960′s with concerns about a possible financial collapse (which seemed to be the trend at the time). H A strong proponent of relocation, Don used the knowledge gained studying architecture at University of Idaho Don has written many great books on eco friendly, self sustaining home designs and living as well as contributing to many others works (including working with Mel Tappan). An influcencer, a thought leader and an innovator are just a few ways to describe Don Stephens.

Joel Skousen is a political commentator, former Marine and survivalist author. His non-fiction books mainly focus around homes, land and security. Joel has been a huge preparedness advocate since his early adulthood and he’s still fighting the good fight today, appearing on many major news stations.Joel tows the line between generations, helping spread wisdom from past generations to the newer generations.

Cresson was a popular survivalist author, writing most notably “Nuclear War Survival Skills”. Cresson server in military and government positions for his entire life, which gave him incredible expertise in military and technical aspects of survival. His works have been a staple of survivalist reading and have hugely impacted the education level of survivalists (especially with nuclear information). Sadly Cresson passed away in 2003. His daughter commented,

Ragnar Benson is actually the pen name of an author who has written some of the most dangerous books available. Ragnar was considered dangerous because of his exposing works on munitions, explosives, “mantrapping”, creating new identities and more. Despite the controversies associated with his work, his writings had a powerful impact in the survivalism movement. Much of his work is focused around living an independent life and escaping the trapping of modern government/society. If you don’t own at least one Ragnar book your survival library is incomplete!

Bruce D. Clayton, Ph.D., a black belt in the sixth degree, is a scientist, writer, and teacher who gained popularity with his book “Life After Doomsday” in the 1980′s. He is the author of over a dozen books on survival and self-defense, including the revolutionary Shotokan’s Secret from Black Belt Books. Shotokan’s Secret has been called a,

“manifesto for a modern revolution in the way martial arts are learned and taught.”

Colonel Cooper was an actual Colonel who pioneered many shooting techniques, especially for small arms. In his life Cooper was a gun advocate, helping teach others how to use guns and even creating the American Pistol Institute located in Arizona. Additionally, Cooper invented The Combat Color Code (mentioned here), a code based upon situational awareness.

The will to survive is not as important as the will to prevail… the answer to criminal aggression is retaliation. – Jeff Cooper

Kurt Saxon is one of the first “survivalists”, so much so he claims to have invented the term “survivalist”. Gaining fame in the 1970′s with his popular book “The Poor Man’s James Bond”, Kurt has had an impact on the modern survivalist movement in ways most of us don’t realize. Having grown up during the Great Depression, Kurt was somewhat of an expert on surviving on a budget. Many of his publications offer various tips and do-it-yourself guides on topics ranging from home medicines to homemade self-defense weapons. If you are interested in survival and preparedness, chances are you have most likely read something reflecting the views and knowledge of Kurt Saxon. Kurt was in many ways a philosopher, speaking loudly his ideals of societal structure and its inevitable failure. To really get a feel for who Kurt Saxon is, read A Philosophy For Survivalists.

**Disclaimer, We know that Rawles isn’t a “founding father” of survivalism and is instead a significant figure in the movement. However his impact cannot be ignored and deserves an honorable mention from us.

10. James Wesley Rawles

James Wesley Rawles is perhaps the most famous Survivalist of our time. He is the author and editor of www.survivablog.com, which has become a staple in the online survivalist community. His blog offers a plethora of information on survival topics from food storage and gardening to do-it-yourself survival shelters. He has set himself apart in the industry by offering a comprehensive guide on the best places to relocate to avoid disaster, and offering private retreat consulting by phone from his North Idaho home. His book “Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse” was one of my personal favorites and interestingly enough, some of the scenarios Rawles sets forward in his book are beginning to come to pass today. Many of us who currently know Rawles would say that he has become, in many ways, the modern archetype for survivalists. He has been one of the major players in the modern survivalist movement for the last several years, drawing fans and readers from varying backgrounds and demographics.

Some might know who I am, some might not. My name is Will and I’m a prepper. I run this blog, the Survival Spot. But much more important than who I am, is why I do what I do. I run this free blog for one reason and one reason alone.

To help others become more mentally, physically and emotionally prepared to take on any challenge this life may present.

The Awakening

Like many of you I had an “awakening” of sorts about preparedness. My reasons are as simple as anyone’s; I want to ensure a continued existence for myself and my family. More than that, I want to beyond "surviving”, I want to thrive in hard times. I don’t want my family to have to wait in the bread line. Isn’t that exactly what most us are preparing for? We’re not preparing for a single isolated incident as much as we’re preparing for the inevitable collapse of modern society. And with so many forces working against our modern system, it’s only a matter of time before our worst fear becomes a reality. We aren’t nuts or kooks, we are simply trying to be wise and realize the plain and simple truth that by being ready we aren’t at the complete mercy of someone or something else.

The Reason

After several years of gathering supplies, learning new skills and changing my entire life to fit into the self reliant/survivalist mindset, I realized that there are overwhelming forces against us. I realized that no amount of preparation done by myself could overcome the tremendous odds we face in the future. It would certainly give me an advantage, but would I be able to be (sic) withstand all odds with my small family? So finally, after much thought and consideration, I realized a plain and simple truth; strength in numbers. I realized that nobody can do it by themselves. As humans we have always relied on each for strength and support. So much so that before modern technology, if we didn’t have a tribe or a group to lean on we most likely died. Us as social creatures need to belong to a group for both emotional needs and basic survival needs. The only reason we aren’t as unified now as we once were is because of the abundance of convenience and technology. This technology allows someone to be and isolationist and survive. But in the end, being an isolationist will get you killed.

So that’s why I started this blog. I did it to help others learn to prepare. To help others learn to be self reliant. Ultimately, the more people who are prepared and self reliant, the less people there will be roaming the streets looking for food. The less people there will be willing to kill over some water or a can of food. In simpler terms, the more people who are prepared, the less we need to be.

“In the beginning of a change, the Patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a Patriot.” – Mark twain

What this quote means to me is that the most difficult challenge we preppers face is not being prepared. It’s helping others learn about why they should be prepared and how to do it. And to those of you who think “well, there’s nothing I can do to change their minds”, I’ve been there and I’ve thought that. But there have been dozens people I’ve met in the last 5 years that I have turned onto preparedness in one way or another. At first most of them rejected of the idea and made fun of me for my extremism. But the seed that I planted in their heads that this world isn’t entirely safe, has grown and flourished into a preparedness mindset. People who’s minds I thought would never be changed have slowly started prepping, gathering supplies, planting gardens and being more aware.

“The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing” – Edmund Burke

Now What?

OK, so you know me and you know my reasons. Why does it matter? It matters for a reason that runs so deep none of us can hide from it or ignore it. And that simple reason is that there is strength in numbers. The great powers of this world are not rebellious against each other. The powers of this world utilize networking, organization and communication to make their organizations powerful and secure. Love them or hate them, they are powerful and secure. If we seek to survive the trials and tribulations of our future, we must unite together. At the very least we must spread truth, wisdom and knowledge to all that we know.

The Survival Spot Challenge

Here is my challenge to you readers. I challenge you to convince at least one person that they should become prepared. Even if they only start with a simple kit or a little bit of extra food, get them thinking about the fragility of our lives.

Did you have an awakening moment? If so leave a comment and tell us what your awakening moment was. I want to hear what you think, so leave a comment and let your voice be heard.

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Survival Spot Blog is dedicated entirely to the practice and philosophy of survival. We teach you not only the “hows” but also the “whys” of survival and emergency preparedness. Which is why we bring you regular updates on survival related news including natural and man-made disasters, economic troubles or anything that might require us to beef up our efforts as survivalists and make sure we’re never caught off guard. In addition to the latest survival news, you’ll also find a ton of resources on our site. We post lots of video how to’s, DIY (do it yourself) articles on everything from wilderness survival to homesteading. Be sure to check out ourdownloadssection for a great collection of hand selected e-books, guides and tools all FREE courtesy of our amazing sponsors and supporters.

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